Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1887-11-12

Washington Letter.
WASHINGTON. Nov. 8. 1881.

Among the prominent Democratic
members of the House who have ar
rived at the Capital, | may mention
the Hon. R. p. Bland, of Missouri,
who is often referred to as Silver
Bland" on account of the leading
part taken by him in the legislation
that authorized the coinage of the
/" dollar of our daddies," and also be-
cause he is on all occasions the stead
fast friend and champion of silver.
Mr.. Bland gives his views to the
probable course of legislation in the
fiftieth Congress. He thinks a COM
promise tariff bill will pass, and
that it will include the repeal of the
tobacco tax he believes that the tar
if should be reduced 500, 100000
the free list should be largely increas-
ed and there should be a reduction
of duties on other import. He thinks
there will be no financial legislation
except in so far as tariff legislation
affects the finances.
The question of changing the time
of the meeting of Congress, is again,
as we'll as the terms of the members,
being agitated, and there are num-
berless advocates in the affirmative,
while on the other hand, the dissen-
tients can be counted on ones fingers.
l have yet to see a convincing reason
why Congress should meet, as it does
at present, thirteen months after the
election of its members, but, on the
contrary there are many grave objec-
tions to the system now in vogue,
among which / may mention that
Congressman should come fresh from
the people; that their successors
should not be elected until the in
cumbents serve out their first term /;
that the present custom is antagonis-
tic to the progressive spirit of the
age. Congress now meets on the
first Monday in December, and be-
fore that body gets fairly to work, an
adjournment for the holidays is in or
der. Why should not Congressman,
like most other elective officials, be-
gin their duties on the first of the
year and be paid per annum.
The theory of States right has GER
tainlyreceived substantial encourage
ment from the decision of the United
States Supreme Court in the Chicago
Anarchist cases, and | doubt not, if
such a thing be possible, that the
spirit of the great Calhoun lowered
jubilantly over the historical and
eventful scene that in a measure vim
Dictated the constitutionality of. his
distinctive doctrine Of the reserved
rights of the State in the Federal
compact. But, however that may be,
/ believe the verdict, on its merits,
is generally ~applauded as just and
righteous.
A young newspaper correspondent
of this city took advantage of the oc-
casion to send a sham ~"infernal ma
chine'' to Chief Justice Waite-mak-
ing the impression that it was a
scheme ofthe friends of the Anarch-
lists, for revenge on the Court. The
reckless youth made a sensation in
the Capital, but the sequel was the
confinement in the gloomy cell of the
police station until bailed out.
Earlier in the past week, Washing
ton had another sensation in the
shape of a cholera scare, caused by
two Italian suspects from New York,
who, together with their effects, were
given a fumigation and permitted to
depart. If any more ships supposed
to be infected with cholera arrive in
New York harbor, the Government
will unceremoniously order them
back from whence they came.
A Treasury clerk has caused no lit.
tie perturbation in that department
by ~inventing a new counting ma
chine, which, if it works as success.
fully as the experiment promises, will
do the work of six persons better
than they can do it. And that is
what carries sorrow to the souls o.
the fair "countesses," a large num-
Der of whom are operating the ole
machine at a compensation of from
$3.50 to 500 per day. Nor will TIL
enterprising inventor be benefited
pecuniarily, as he invented the ma
chine while in Government service
So he gets not a cent for his ingenu
ity,
The air is full of rumors of coming
Cabinet changes-whether unbound
ed or not your correspondent is un
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